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Dear Friends committed to living and aging consciously:
Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of Conscious Eldering Inspiration and Resources; The Journal of the Center for Conscious Eldering. We wish you renewal, joy, and clear vision in this season of new life within and without. It is our hope that the three featured articles, written for this journal, and the poetry and other resources you will find here, will serve to remind you of the spirit within you that seeks to blossom out into the world through you and your commitment to living intentionally each day, with gratitude, trust, growth, service and joy. May this journal support your growth into the conscious elderhood that is your birth rite, but requires your willingness to accept it as both gift and responsibility.
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Our September 11-17 Choosing Conscious Elderhood in Ireland retreat is filled, but we would love to hear from you if you are interested and would like to be placed on our wait list. You never know when a space may become available. Info at centerforconsciouseldering.com/events
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Legacies of the Heart: Essential for this Pivotal Time
by Meg Newhouse
One of the many gifts of conscious elderhood is a heightened concern with the legacies we’ve already left and those we still want to leave. This inspired my 2016 book, Legacies of the Heart, Living a Life that Matters. Eight years later, those past and future legacies are even more important to consider, given the current pivotal point in our human history and that of our Mother Earth. In this article I am encapsulating my understanding of legacy, in light of the urgent need for us all to give the highest priority to the long-term legacies we want to leave, legacies that come “from the heart.”
What is Legacy?
I define legacy as anything – tangible or intangible, of any size – that we intentionally or unintentionally give, bequeath, or leave behind during our life or at our death that lasts at least through one generation. Although the concept is rich and multi-faceted, its meaning can be boiled down to the imprint of our lives that endures in some form – the imprint of our essence and our action, our being and doing. It lives on in the memories of those we have touched and in their own essences and actions, and in tangible records of all kinds that signify the intangible qualities.
We are all leaving legacies all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. Many people don’t even consider their legacies until they confront their mortality: According to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the three most common questions people ask on their deathbeds are “Have I given and received love? Did I live my life and not someone else’s? Have I left the world a little better than I found it?” Based on my experience, most of those who do reflect on their legacies undervalue them, except perhaps for bequests. They don’t understand that legacy is about how we live our lives. Who we are and what we say and do has an impact on others that often persists and ripples outward and forward in time.
I believe that most of us want to leave the world a little better than we found it. My central thesis is that the more intentional and heart-centered we are about living our legacies, the more likely that they will be positive. When we live from the heart, we live from our most authentic, generous, compassionate selves. When we give from the heart, we leave intangible and tangible gifts of ourselves without expectations. We give from love, not fear. Fear-based legacies reflect survival instincts harbored by the ego, such as competition, exclusion, and domination, and can inflict damage that ranges from hurtful to horrific.
Most of us receive, absorb, and initiate fear-based legacies, as well as intertwined fear- and love-based legacies, and – thankfully – also legacies “from the heart.” The central question is do we choose to live and act more out of love than fear? These every-day every-moment, choices add up to, in the end, what we leave behind.
What does this mean for us Elders today?
Humanity as we know it is at a pivotal moment that will decide whether we survive on Earth as humans. We are currently convulsed in a struggle between an old paradigm that assumes we are separate beings, engaged in a zero-sum competition for scarce resources and power over others (individuals, groups, nations, as well as our planet); and an emerging paradigm based on the realization that all life is interdependent, and upon a peaceful, just, collaborative culture with reverence for life and the laws of Nature. This new paradigm both reflects the wisdom of ancient indigenous cultures and is supported by modern quantum physics.
A legacy consciousness, which seems ever more important today, includes an awareness of the toxic legacies we have inherited and, as many believe, have come here to change. The six prescriptive “Keys to Legacy Living” that conclude my book remain a reliable guide:
* Live your legacy consciously now!
* Consider the legacy you have inherited, especially those pieces that strongly affect who you are. Strengthen your ability to choose whether and how you want to pass them on.
* Be aware and thoughtful about the legacies you have already left and those you still want to give – through your essence, words, actions, personal or public creations, and in your roles as parents, grandparents and relatives; as teachers and mentors; as citizens of your communities of work (paid and volunteer), leisure, faith, neighbor-hood, town/city, country, and world; and as trustees of the Earth, life, and the society we bequeath to future generations. Create a vision of the world you would like to see and let it guide your choices.
* Live as best you can, from the heart. More concretely:
Cultivate the qualities of compassion, love, generosity, and trust, and include yourself as the recipient!
Use the heart (or soul, higher self, etc.) to guide your life and legacy choices.
Find purpose and meaning, develop and express your gifts and your unique “signature presence.” Live your life, not someone else’s.
Forgive yourself and others and make amends when possible.
* Seek comfort and support for the legacy journey; community is essential.
* Enjoy the ride. The hallmarks of living from the heart are feelings of aliveness, deep satisfaction, and joy. That itself leaves the world a better place.
It can be especially challenging these days to live “from the heart”; yet it’s essential now to counter the intense fear, anger, despair, and other dark emotions seemingly dominant. We, as conscious elders, can take on a role (shared with other generations) of being “light-bearers” during this time of chaos, uncertainty, and upheaval. We can choose to focus on and model the gifts of conscious elderhood – a tamed ego and more humility; a longer and wider perspective, more experience-based wisdom; resilience in response to losses; and a spiritual perspective that encourages generosity, compassion, hope, resilience, fortitude and steadiness in crisis—qualities that both the world’s Wisdom Traditions and modern scientific research say are much more powerful than lower vibrational emotions like hate, anger, fear and depression.
We elders can also look for opportunities to serve, extending our personal horizon at least two generations out. (Metaphorically, “Plant trees under whose shade you will never sit.”) In accordance with Rev Frederick Buechner’s advice, we can search for those opportunities where our “deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” For those who, like me, are increasingly aware of diminished energy and productiveness in “older age,” an additional challenge may involve discerning what is ours to do and not to do as our priorities and capacities change. Personally, I’ll be looking for opportunities closer to home with defined time and energy limits. Who knows how life will call me – and each of us – to engage!
Finally, we must make time for self-care, nourishing activities, and spiritual engagement, all of which will help prevent burnout and descent into depression or anger. For example, joy and gratitude practices, as well as meditation that brings present moment awareness, are powerful restorers of energy, health, and hope.
The Bottom Line? It is vitally important to shine the light of our conscious elderhood wherever we are, whatever we are doing, for the greater good, so that we leave legacies that our descendants will be grateful for.
Meg Newhouse, Ph.D. is author of Legacies of the Heart: Living a Life that Matters. In addition to being the Principal in Passion and Purpose Life Crafting, she founded and co-led the Life Planning Network, co-edited Live Smart after Fifty, and authored Life Planning for the Third Ageand numerous articles. She can be reached at mnewhouse@post.harvard.edu. Please put “Legacy Article Response” in the heading of your email.
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Recognition Rites Honoring Elders
by Tom Pinkson
Some ten years ago I created a process that shifts attitudes about aging and older people to a position of respect and reverence—to a position that mature cultures throughout history have demonstrated by how they valued and had important roles for their elders. While I am no longer offering this program, I am writing about it here in the hopes that it will serve as a model for readers to emulate in your communities. This program offered a unique blend of ancient and contemporary knowledge that is the result of my fifty years of work bridging cultures, traditions, belief systems and peoples. Recognition Rites offers hope and a call to action in a most timely and necessary manner. It is a program that works authentically, integrally and skillfully with the challenges and opportunities for conscious renewal on the Journey of Aging.
Lee’s Story
Lee is a 76 year-old retired engineer, inventor and sailor who went through a Recognition Rite. When he began the program Lee was in deep depression, troubled by his failing body and memory loss. His former prowess and highly developed ability to do, to problem-solve, from which he had derived a lifetime of status, accomplishment, and self-esteem – were no longer working.
The Recognition Rites program led Lee through a workbook series of reflective questions reviewing his life, exploring its crucial turning points, his guiding values, beliefs, goals, coping strategies (especially his spiritual ones), as well as relationship with himself and with his significant others. Through this new perceptual lens he was able to glean previously hidden wisdom-teachings from his life experience. This enabled him to cross a transition bridge from his previous means of deriving self esteem and self worth – his various successful “doings”, the loss of which fed his depression and despair—to seeing that he now carried worthy gifts that derived from his “being”, his essence. Gifts such as patience, tolerance, faith, love, kindness, compassion, generosity, caring, courage and grace.
Realizing that he could offer his “Being-mode” gifts to others in meaningful ways gave Lee a new sense of purpose, identity and self-worth in realizing that he had a new and vital contributing role to play despite his limited physical mobility and memory difficulties. He went from feeling like a washed up, non-contributing old man, to a respected elder with purpose and meaning, available to share wisdom and resources with younger generations.
Lee then began to prepare for the second part of the Rites program – a gathering of family and friends invited to a Recognition Event to honor Lee, at which they would have opportunity to share how knowing him had impacted their life. It was explained to Lee that the event would also serve as a rite of passage leaving behind his old sense of self and stepping into his new identity as a contributing wisdom elder. Thus he needed to come up with a dramatic way – a poem, a song, a ritual, an experience he would take people through, to get his message across. Something that took him out of his comfort zone, testing his ability to bring it off. Every rite of passage has a test and this was to be Lee’s.
Close to ninety people from various communities and time frames of his Lee’s life gathered together at the big event. Lee began by welcoming people and sharing significant aspects of his life journey. Then he heard tender, humorous and touching Lee stories as people came forward to share their experiences of knowing him.
In the second part of the evening Lee stepped forward to acknowledge his losses, then proudly take ownership of his gifts and put forth his vision for his future. He led everyone in a drumming ritual, then gave a heart-felt blessing prayer for everyone’s well-being. He pushed through his comfort zone announcing that he was now available to be called on whenever anyone was going through a rough time and needed a supportive prayer or blessing. This was the gift Lee had to offer that shifted him from feeling worthless to positive feelings of worth and purpose serving others.
He shared his epitaph, crafted into a song whose closing refrain acknowledged the essence of Lee’s growth through the Recognition Rite process – “No longer needing to be somebody, now I can just be me!” Everyone joined hands to sing the song in a closing ceremony which turned into a standing ovation for Lee. He was a new person. No longer a suffering, depressed old man, he was now a publicly affirmed wisdom elder, proud and happy in his new role. He’d crossed a bridge into the role of a community resource ready to serve his people. Lee wasn’t done with his life. He was just getting started! At a follow-up session examining how to build on the event experience, Lee shared his written assessment of the Recognition Rite program.
Dear Tom: I’m holding great Gratitude for this marvelous experience. My preparation for the event was a TOTALLY EXCELLENT experience for me. I loved the process! Absolutely self-revealing, providing a fuller understanding of my personal richness. The sessions were amazing! Through them I was able to unearth, discuss and understand my journey in greater detail, understanding myself (and appreciating myself) more fully.
Lee’s wife reported – Lee and I want you to know how much this ceremony meant to us, and all who were invited. You helped make this one of the most memorable days of our life together. Thank you for helping Lee see how very important his “being” state is----how much you acknowledged and appreciated his elderhood-----helping him realize the special gifts he has developed and can give to others.
People in the audience were impacted in a healing and inspirational way by the Recognition event as well. Lee’s experience enabled them to see aging and older people in a new and positive light. A seed was planted for a new vision of aging. A retired nurse reported the experience as one of the most positive, uplifting, emotionally satisfying celebrations I have ever witnessed. I wish for this special gift to be bestowed on many more people and also for myself.
Tom Pinkson, Ph.D., is a transpersonal psychologist in private practice, coach, mentor, ceremonial retreat and vision quest leader, author, musician, sacred storyteller, keynote speaker, and shamanic initiate. He is author of Fruitful Aging: Finding the Gold in the Golden Years, and several other books. Tom can be reached at tompinkson@gmail.com.
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Befriending Our Aging Bodies
by Shanti Mayberry
May your body be blessed.
May you realize that your body is a faithful
and beautiful friend of your soul.
—John O’Donohue
Our body is our very best friend whether or not we realize this truth. Like a faithful servant, our body has taken us wherever we wanted to go and sheltered our soul through all the storms of life. It is our dearest companion to the end. Yet we are conditioned to ignore the body’s somatic intelligence and signals of exhaustion and stress in our speed-driven materialist culture that worships cognitive thinking and excessive productivity. But as we age it is vitally important that we heal this mind-body split and lovingly access our body’s wisdom and instinctive healing power in order to restore and maintain our health.
I’ve found that there are three primary steps to befriending our aging bodies and repairing this disconnection between cognitive and somatic (body-centered) awareness. The first is to honor the sacredness of the human body, rather than to regard it as inferior to the thinking mind, an archaic cultural legacy from Rene Descarte’s seventeenth century dictum “I think, therefore I am.”
By contrast, in the Buddhist view the body is considered to be the ‘hard-to-attain’ vehicle of liberation, and human incarnation is seen as a rare gift. For this reason, the Dalai Lama often praises his mother and all women for the great compassionate act of giving birth and hence providing the child with the possibility of enlightenment. So no matter the gender, color, size or shape of our body, we can regard it as a sacred gift and care for it as the temple of spirit.
Secondly, the practice of slowing down and paying attention to what our bodies are trying to convey is essential for healthy sage-aging. Befriending our body means listening and tending to it with compassion as we would to a close friend. We need patience and commitment to cultivate any loving relationship, but especially with our bodies. Here are a few ways we can deepen a sense of valuing and coming home to our body.
· Become acquainted with the placement and functioning of your internal organ systems.
· Cultivate inner body awareness of sensations, feelings and energy.
· Feel how your body is part of Mother Nature’s larger body.
· Practice a body scan, which is most easily done lying down in a comfortable and cozy position. As you progressively relax, thank each part of your body, starting with the feet and slowly moving up to the head.
· Learn its language, which may come in the form of pain signals, chronic tensions, anxieties, imbalance or beginnings of illness.
The third step is to turn towards the felt areas of physical or emotional discomfort with kindness and attentive inquiry. This step is the most difficult since we instinctively want to avoid pain, suppress it with pills or override it with distractions or addictive behaviors. Often these distressed areas are places in need of attention and may reveal hidden childhood wounds and suppressed emotions that can heal if accepted and embraced with compassionate awareness. And as Ron Pevny states in his book, Conscious Living, Conscious Aging, the older we get, the less able we are to suppress these trapped emotions. We simply don’t have the energy to keep them pushed down and defended with ego strategies.
Although it’s not possible in this short article to discuss the complexities of trauma healing and recovery, please know that we have all been traumatized and there is no shame in having embedded pain. Many of us did not receive the nurturing or mirroring from caretakers that we needed as infants, young children or teenagers and we coped by creating strategies to survive. These buried wounds are behind many diseases from cancers to auto-immune ailments, according to Dr. Gabor Mate in the book When the Body Says No. They must be compassionately addressed for healing to happen.
Courage, support and understanding are necessary to allow these earlier woundings to surface, but the reward for doing so is great since the frozen energy in the trauma will flow freely again in your system as it releases. And who doesn’t want more energy? That’s the main currency of aging and by doing this inner work your vitality will increase.
One way to gently address the wound is to place your hand on the area where you feel it is held and direct kind attention there, creating a sense of spaciousness around the painful contraction. You could then say something to the body like, “I’m here for you dear, you’re not alone, tell me what you need”, or “it’s going to be okay.” Just that reassurance from your adult self to the younger hurt aspects in your body can generate a sense of internal safety and support and open a communication channel between the cognitive and somatic minds.
By accepting the hurt, allowing it to be seen and receiving its message with kindness, you are opening the space to heal. Sometimes just witnessing the stored pain is sufficient to release it. Occasionally, emotional catharsis or spontaneous movement may be needed, which is why it’s advised to do such deep release work with a therapist or close friend who can offer external comfort, guidance and safety.
I offer my case as an example of how honoring the pain and regarding it as a messenger works to transform it. As a yoga and T’ai Chi instructor, I’ve always been active, fairly fit and flexible, but late one night just after I turned seventy, I slipped on my wooden stairway during a rain storm when I was rushing downstairs. The pain was excruciating, more intense than anything I’d ever experienced. On a scale of 1-10, it was a 20. This spinal and sciatica pain continued for over a year, making it difficult to walk or exercise.
My physical therapist couldn’t suggest much beyond a few therapeutic exercises, except for surgery and shots, telling me I wouldn’t be able to walk or stand for long without an operation. However, I made the choice to trust my body’s innate healing power and forego any surgical intervention. Instead, I engaged in compassionate dialogue with my back and leg pain and was receptive to any messages from that area. As a result, I was able to release some traumatic memories stored in my back that gradually surfaced. I was also guided to do a series of slow mindful movements which unwound tensions and released blocked energy. The more I accepted and worked with the pain as a teacher, instead of fighting it, the more the pain decreased because it was being seen and heard. As Rumi said, “The cure is in the pain.” A year later I was quite free of pain and could walk and stand easily, which was an amazing testimony to the power of mindful inquiry and self-kindness.
Learning to treat our body as our dearest and closest friend makes the aging process easier. By directing loving awareness and deep listening towards our bodies, we come home to ourselves, allow healing and integration to happen and grow more fully embodied in the here and now. We realize that our body is indeed wise and self-healing and that our human incarnation is truly a precious gift.
Shanti Mayberry HHP, Ph.D., is a Sage-Aging mentor, Holistic Health consultant, Somatic Ecotherapist, depth Ecopsychologist and trauma-informed meditation and movement teacher. Co-founder of the integrative health center, Inner Balance Health Group, she works with clients and groups at her office and online. You can contact her at doc.shanti@yahoo.com
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A Turner of Pages and Stones
by Dennis Stamper
When I say that I am a seeker
still longing to learn,
that I eagerly turn pages
in good books
to think new thoughts,
When I turn over stones
to see the underneath of it
and what might scamper or slither out,
to uncover something
I have not yet seen
or hardly noticed
When I search around corners
or over mountains
or step behind great trees,
to smell the air
see the light
feel the life breath there
They say I “think young”,
as though
seeking and searching
learning and growing
are things reserved for youth,
And should “at my age”
be drained from me by now
like the color from my hair
the spring from my step
the calcium from my bones.
How do they not see
that some dear things
when given enough water and sun
and a bit of daily attention
will never stop growing
like love and hope
wisdom and curiosity?
May I always be a turner
of pages and stones,
and when I step around
that last corner
toward whatever is beyond knowing,
May I do so with
a heart still filled with wonder
fully expecting to be awed.
Places In the Heart
by John Roedel
the places in our heart
where the world took bites
out of us
may never fully heal
and will likely become
wide open spaces
~ be careful to not fill them
with just anything or anyone
your wounds aren’t supposed
to become attics for you to hoard
unnecessary junk
these holes in our hearts
are holy sites
and we should treat
them as such
so when visiting your old wounds
make sure to take your shoes off
and turn off your cellphone
sit by candlelight
and watch how the shadows
tell the story how brave you are
~to survive
From N. Scott Momaday's
most recent book:
Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land.
May my heart hold the earth
all the days of my life.
And when I am gone to the farther camps, may my name sound on the green hills, and may the cedar smoke that I have breathed drift on the canyon walls and among the branches of living trees.
May birds of many colors encircle the soil where my steps have been placed, and may the deer, the lion, and the bear of the mountains be touched by the blessings that have touched me.
May I chant the praises of the wild land, and may my spirit range on the wind forever.
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The Most Important Thing
by Julia Fehrenbacher
I am making a home inside myself.
A shelter of kindness where everything
is forgiven, everything allowed—
a quiet patch of sunlight to stretch out
without hurry,
where all that has been banished
and buried is welcomed,
spoken, listened to—released.
A fiercely friendly place I can claim
as my very own.
I am throwing arms open
to the whole of myself—especially
the fearful, fault-finding,
falling apart, unfinished parts,
knowing every seed and weed,
every drop of rain,
has made the soil richer.
I will light a candle,
Pour a hot cup of tea,
gather around the warmth
of my own blazing fire.
I will howl if I want to,
knowing this flame can burn though
any perceived problem,
any prescribed perfectionism,
any lying limitation,
every heavy thing.
I am making a home inside myself
where grace blooms
in grand and glorious abundance,
a shelter of kindness
that grows all the truest things.
I whisper hallelujah
to the friendly sky.
Watch now as I burst into blossom.
Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
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Upcoming Conscious Eldering Programs
Retreats
In 2024 we are offering our two signature Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreats at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico (May 14-20 and September 29 - October 5) and will return to Ireland September 11-17 for our second retreat on the Emerald Isle. We may also be offering one or two weekend introductions to conscious eldering, to be announced later.
There are still two places open for May at Ghost Ranch, several places for September at Ghost Ranch, and, although our Ireland retreat is filled, we encourage you to contact us to get on the wait list if you are interested in this unique experience.
Please consider joining us if you seek an empowering vision for your elder chapters, tools for helping make that vision reality, and the warmth of a supportive community of kindred spirits. Our programs provide a powerful opportunity to have your idealism acknowledged, your hope rekindled and your dreams for a vital, passionate elderhood supported? They offer you the wisdom of skilled guides and the heart-and-mind-opening energy of the natural world, to open you to the rich possibiities of your later-life chapters--for growth, purpose, spiritual deepening, and giving your elder gifts to support a healthy society and planet.
If you need financial assistance to participate in a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat, please contact us. We have a small scholarship fund. And if you are in a position to contribute to this fund, we would love to hear from you.
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For Organizations, Faith Communities, etc:
We are available to present our weekend workshops or custom designed programs for groups who would like to sponsor one in their area. Contact us to explore possibilities.
for details on our programs and registration information, please visit
www.centerforconsciouseldering.com/events
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Ron Pevny brings passion and clarity to the sacred passage into conscious eldering. Realistic about challenges along the way, filled with wisdom and inspiration, this brilliant new edition of his classic book is a gem. Ron is the real deal, a faithful companion on our journey into the unknown territory of aging, guiding us to a deep appreciation of the resilience, meaning, peace and wholeness conscious eldering brings to us and to our world.
Dr. Joan Borysenko, NY Times bestselling author of “Minding the Body, Mending the Mind”
The expanded, updated 10th Anniversary Edition of Ron's book will be released in early July!
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As I have been struggling to determine the best way forward, through a maze of conflicting feelings and information, to deal with an important personal challenge, I realized how critically important it is to me to be able to distinguish my authentic inner guidance from the other strong voices within me. And I am seeing more clearly than ever how important being able to make this distinction is for all of us committed to approaching our eldering with attunement to our most authentic inner voice, rather than the many voices from our personality self, often conditioned by the disempowering, fear-infused, ego-driven voices of contemporary society. Then I recently remembered, and eagerly re-read, a book that touched me deeply more than ten years ago. Your Soul’s Compass, by Joan Borysenko and Gordon Dveirin, is the most useful resource I know for engaging with the difficult but ever-so-important work of knowing what is truly spiritual guidance. As the authors make clear, there are no clearcut prescriptions or easy answers. But the perspectives, poignant personal stories, and the rich practices they share have been very meaningful for me. On my journey of conscious eldering, this book and my interviews with Joan Borysenko have been real gifts.
Ron Pevny
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Online course taught by Center for Conscious Eldering guide emeritus Anne Wennhold
Aging Into the 80s
Beginning May 1st
This is an eight-week Zoom seminar focused on the continuing transitions of growth and development beyond the active 70s. The focus off this seminar is to identify and develop ways of managing the unexpected turns taken by the transitions of later elderhood and to provide windows into topics and fears often hidden by cultural denial: such as Balancing One's Life Style, Continued Growth Practice, Letting Go and Facing Mortality. Now in her late 80’s and no longer co-guiding conscious eldering retreats, Anne will be bringing her own aging experience to this unique class.
For more information or to register, Contact Anne annewennhold@gmail.com.
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A new course taught by Jan Flynn Certified Sage-ing Leader (CSL)
and Dennis Stamper, CSL and Center for Conscious Eldering retreat guide
Becoming an Intrepid Elder:
Growing Older With Grace, Purpose and Passion
June 12-16, 2024
Hope Springs Institute in Southern Ohio
Based in the principles of “ageing to sage-ing” and drawing from conscious eldering work, this workshop is designed to help you lean into the space between who you were and who you can become. Becoming an Intrepid Elder means that you move through the uncertainties to a more meaningful and productive future…developing the mindset, the tools, and the skills to accept and savor each moment, to learn from it, to make good choices, and to move forward. To learn more:
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The Human Values in Aging Newsletter
The newsletter you are reading is not intended to provide a comprehensive listing of workshops and other resources available these days to help support people in aging consciously. That job is well done by Rick Moody in his monthly Human Values in Aging newsletter. To receive it on the first day of each month, send an email to hrmoody@yahoo.com
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One of our partner organizations, the Elders Action Network is an educational non-profit organization fostering a budding movement of vital elders dedicated to growing in consciousness while actively addressing the demanding social and environmental challenges facing our country and planet. They work inter-generationally for social and economic justice,environmental stewardship, and sound governance. They offer their multiple talents and resources in service to the goal of preserving and protecting life for all generations to come. Anyone committed to living and serving as a conscious elder in invited to join them in this critically important endeavor. EAN offerings include, among others,
* Bi-weekly Elder Activists for Social Justice Community Conversations
*The growing and influential "Elders Climate Action" initiative
* The Empowered Elder--EAN's foundational program
*The new Sunrise Movement - an intergenerational collaborative effort between EAN and Sage-ing International
*The Elders for Regenerative Living initiative
To learn about EAN and its initiatives and programs, visit www.eldersaction.org
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Another of our partner organizations is Sage-ing International, the pioneering organization in promoting the principles of "Sage-ing/conscious aging, Their greatly expanded offerings of online workshops and seminars, Elder Wisdom Circles, and their training program for Certified Sage-ing Leaders is grounded in the work of the late Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, who introduced conscious aging to the world with his workshops at Omega Institute with Ram Dass and others, and via his seminal book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing.
To view their website, visit www.sage-ing.org
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The Pathways to Elderhood Alliance (PEAL) is a newly forming alliance of organizations, including the Center for Conscious Eldering, who offer programs that support the journey into elderhood. To learn about this promising collaboration, click here: Passageways to Elderhood Alliance
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Ron Pevny, Founder and Director
970-223-0857
3707 Coronado Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526
ron@centerforconsciouseldering.com
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You cannot get through living a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference. You simply have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Jane Goodall
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